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How Can Your Provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons Help You?

Provincial colleges of physicians and surgeons set medical standards of practice for Canada’s 70,000 (and counting) doctors.

Provincial colleges of physicians and surgeons set medical standards of practice for Canada’s 70,000 (and counting) doctors. It is a College’s responsibility to protect the public by ensuring that practicing physicians are employing safe, ethical, high-quality methods of medical care. This article will help you understand the role of your provincial College, including how it helps you, the patient, and what it does to safeguard the Canadian health care system as a whole.

Colleges make information accessible
Colleges protect the public
Contacting your provincial College

Colleges make information accessible

Colleges set strict guidelines and discipline doctors who violate them. This means that you can contact your College to find a doctor’s credentials, check for a history of complaints, or even file a formal complaint yourself. Because these organizations maintain a record of detailed information on all doctors in their province or territory, most colleges will even allow you to search their own physician database online. This can be helpful if you are trying to locate a health care professional in your area.

In the absence of a search tool on your College’s website, you can use the Physician Search on this website, a comprehensive database that lists more than 57,000 physicians from the Canadian Medical Directory. Use it to obtain the names and contact information of doctors practicing in your area. Note that the database does not indicate whether a physician is accepting new patients.

Colleges protect the public

While colleges are self-regulating organizations (i.e., they develop and enforce their own standards of practice), colleges were initially established to ensure that a high standard of care was being delivered by its members; the intent was to maintain public confidence in the medical profession. This means that colleges serve and protect the public’s interest by regulating medical practices. Colleges do not endorse and are not to be confused with professional associations of physicians, such as the Manitoba Medical Association (MMA) or the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR).

Each College has three main responsibilities:

1. Registration is the licensing of all doctors in a given province or territory. Making sure that doctors meet specific educational and professional criteria means that they can practice in their chosen field of medicine. These criteria include continuing education requirements, such as enrolling in a CPD (Continuous Professional Development) program, to maintain their medical license.

2. Standards are set by each College to ensure safe and ethical medical care. Setting standards means, for example, that doctors must receive patient consent before beginning a new treatment plan. Doctors cannot provide any type of treatment without informing patients of the risks, benefits, and alternatives. These types of standards help ensure that all physicians are competent medical practitioners while also making them accountable for their actions. At any given time, a provincial College may audit a physician’s practice, requiring proof of competence and continuing education. For an example, read about Peer Assessment, Ontario’s auditing program.

3. Complaints and Investigations are the obligation of each College. Colleges have the authority to investigate all complaints made against their members. If you have a serious complaint about a physician that you’ve been unable to resolve, you may contact your College to file a formal complaint. Learn more about how to make this type of complaint effectively.

Contacting your provincial College

If you want to know more about your current doctor, or if you are seeking a new one, contact your provincial College for more detailed information.

Locate your province or territory in the table below to find the contact information for the associated College. A physician directory or search tool may also be available.

*The Northwest Territories and Nunavut do not have formal colleges; doctors in those areas are regulated directly by the health ministry. You can find the contact information for a particular health ministry in the Provincial Guide.

It is important to remember that provincial colleges of physicians and surgeons exist to protect the public’s health as well as to ensure Canadians are receiving high-quality medical care. Colleges are also a valuable resource for patients who want to find a new doctor, or for those hoping to learn more about the providers who treat them.

Key Websites:

• The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario: Self-regulation and the practice of medicine

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• Get the Most out of Your Next Visit to the Doctor

References